Growing up in Brooklyn, Jonathan Levine, founder of Jonathan’s The Rub, became a commodities trader in New York City. He soon realized he needed to pursue his real passion: cooking.
Before moving to Houston in 2000, when he opened Jonathan’s Catering (which would eventually become Jonathan’s The Rub Restaurant), Jonathan owned and operated three restaurants in Cape Cod.
When it comes to the name and heartbeat of the family-owned restaurant group, Jonathan shares, "My mother Judy – God rest her soul – was a brilliant woman: classical piano player, avid reader, and lover of Shakespeare. She had a great memory and could recite many of his soliloquies,” Jonathan recalls. “At dinner parties in my childhood home – after a couple of vodka martinis, no olives – she would stand on a chair and recite.”
“Our favorite was Hamlet’s ‘To Be or Not to Be’ soliloquy. In this childhood favorite, ‘Therein Lies the Rub’ refers to the eternal questions without answers, the conundrums, referencing mortality, and questioning the nature of existence. For me, ‘the Rub’ became a theme and part of my legacy, Jonathan’s The Rub."
Jonathan’s The Rub is steadily expanding, currently with three locations: Campbell Place, Memorial Green, and their third and most recently opened East End location at 2929 Navigation Boulevard.
Jonathan’s two adult children, Sam and Jessica, have been operating these locations, and the family is excited to have a third generation join their restauranteering ranks. Jonathan’s grandson Jay, who recently graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, is already in the mix in the kitchen at the East End location.
While the cuisine offers influences from the East, West and Gulf Coast regions, the atmosphere at Jonathan's The Rub is sophisticated yet comfortable, offering a hospitable and inviting space. Their bar program features modern craft and classic cocktails, as well as popular beer and wine selections on draft, and a curated bottle list from their in-house sommelier, assuring a glass can be raised for any occasion.
Family-owned with over thirty-five years of experience, Jonathan’s The Rub features an extensive menu, including seafood, burgers, steaks, Italian selections, and more. The East End location also brings the new addition of true Brooklyn-style pizza. Cooked in an open-concept area showcasing their new pizza oven, “I grew up with authentic Brooklyn-style pizza, and we are thrilled to have introduced it into the menu at this new location,” Jonathan says.
A fourth location in Bridgeland will open in the fall of 2025. As always, Jonathan's The Rub restaurants adapt to the locale to seamlessly integrate into the community. Bridgeland's location will offer casual elegance while still being family-friendly. The menu in Bridgeland will be like their other locations: extremely eclectic, American-focused, and made from scratch.
“The community has been wonderful to our family at our first two locations over the last twenty years. We are excited for the opportunity to bring our signature food and drinks, warm atmosphere, and comfortable dining experience to new neighborhoods.”
The atmosphere at Jonathan's The Rub is sophisticated and simultaneously comfortable, offering an inviting space that defines the true nature of hospitality.